LALITPUR, May 9: A meeting of mayors and deputy mayors of the 18 municipalities, including two metropolitan cities, of Kathmandu Valley on Wednesday unanimously decided to press the government to dissolve the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA), accusing the latter of interfering with the jurisdiction of local units and obstructing their regular work.
“This extended meeting of the Valley Municipality Forum, Kathmandu has reached a unanimous conclusion that the KVDA should be dissolved,” reads third the meeting’s five-point decision. “Therefore we shall request the government of Nepal to dissolve the body.”
The mayors, deputy mayors and other officials of the municipalities have claimed that KVDA, which was established years ahead of the introduction of the federal system in the country, was not accepting the spirit of the new system and the changed context.
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They have also accused KVDA of not abiding by the constitution and other laws that have mandated the municipalities and other local units to carry out development activities at the local levels.
KVDA has been working with a mandate to prepare and implement an integrated physical development plan in the Valley, which includes the metropolitan cities and municipalities.
The meeting has also challenged the central government’s move to form the Education Development and Coordination Unit to oversee educational matters. “Therefore we totally reject the unit and the activities to be carried out by it and we demand immediate dissolution of the unit,” reads the decision.
The meeting has claimed that the unit formed by the central government was against constitutional and other legal provisions that give full authority to the local units to manage basic and secondary education in their areas.
Likewise, the forum has also challenged the central government’s deployment of staff in the local units “against their choice”.
Stating that the laws have entrusted the local units with creating their own organizational structure, managing human resources and determining the posts required, the meeting has accused the central government of unilaterally sending staff to the local units in the name of staff adjustment.
“So, it is unanimously decided that only staff that are sent as per the necessity and demand of the local units will be allowed to attend office,” the meeting said. “The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration will be notified about this decision.”
The meeting, however, welcomed the government’s initiative to amend a law to allow them to carry out various activities costing up to Rs 100 million through local consumer committees.
